


The Calm Before the Storm

by rsa_27



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, a dash of swan queen, but in a friendship way, captain swan fluff, finally there's peace in storybrooke, post season 4a, pre season 4b
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-03 03:58:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2837249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsa_27/pseuds/rsa_27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The fluffy happiness that happens in Storybrooke in those 6 weeks where Rumple is gone. Because these people deserve some calm happy moments. Develops the Captain Swan relationship, along with the relationship between Emma and her parents and Emma and Regina</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Week 1, Day 1

            There was an eerie silence heavily blanketing Storybrooke. Gold had been run out of town the day before by the town’s new hero, Belle, the people had cheered about their win over evil all night and now… silence. People had fallen back into the sleepy normalcy one would expect to find in a tiny Maine town. But Emma found it unsettling and downright weird. Storybrooke was never quiet. That wasn’t a thing that happened around here. Sheriff (and oddly off-duty Savior) Emma Swan patrolled the town in the early morning light, completely expecting some mad villain to jump out of the bushes, laugh maniacally at her, and brag about their revenge-fueled evil plan to destroy yet another one of the fairy tale happy endings Emma was constantly trying to protect.

            But to her surprise, there was no villain. No shadow lurking in a dark alley. No one watching their lives, conspiring against them, controlling them like puppets. Could she finally put away the title of Savior and just enjoy being Emma? Along with the countless villains that kept popping up in the deceivingly sleepy town of Storybrooke, Emma had destroyed the orphaned, sad version of herself that used to have a strong hold over her battered heart. Now that everything was actually quiet, could she finally relish in the feeling of having a complete family, of being royalty (which had never been something she had dreamed of), of being a mother, and maybe, just maybe, of being in love?

            Her mind drifted off with that last train of thought. Being in love… As much as she avoided using that L-word, she couldn’t ignore it anymore. When Anna told them that Gold had lied to them, all the pieces had fallen into place. Killian’s actions had been odd since the day she almost gave her magic up to Gold. He had been distant, his words almost robotic. His kiss lacked the fire she had grown to depend on, that feeling of raw desire mixed with complete adoration. There had been no love in those expressive blue eyes. When she had pieced together that Killian was in trouble, her heart had throbbed. She had run to town, hoping something would lead her to him. Just as she had been sprinting past the library, her heart seemed to clench in pain, indicating that he was there. She saw him, doubled over his chest, groaning in pain, but she could do nothing. Her body was frozen in place, but she felt frozen in time. In her mind, she replayed all of the precious moment she had spent with him. She was about to watch him die, and at that moment, she had known. She loved him. There was no hiding it. Belle had saved him, unknowingly knocking life back into Emma as well.

            She waved away the memory of almost losing him. And as she admitted to herself once again how much she loved that suave old pirate, she looked up to see Granny’s Diner. Once more, her heart had controlled her movements and had led her to him.

            She bounded up the stairs and stood in front of his door. Emma breathed in sharply and knocked. She heard his footsteps behind the door and her heart began to somersault.

            Killian’s brow furrowed when he saw her at his door; he wasn’t expecting her. His surprised look was quickly replaced by utter happiness that she was there. “Emma! What are you doing here, love?” he asked.

            She hadn’t thought about that. Why was she here? “I…” she staggered, “I… to be perfectly honest, I don’t know why I’m here… I guess I just missed you…”

            He grinned, that goofy grin he reserved just for her. “To be perfectly honest, love, I miss you every second you are not with me.” He extended his hand out to her.

            She rolled her eyes at his overly romantic, yet very Killian, comment, but took his hand anyway. Killian pulled her into the room quickly and pressed her body tightly against his.

            “Shouldn’t you be on patrol, love?”

            “I was, but Storybrooke is unusually peaceful. No storybook villains to deal with. Little John and the Merry Men have taken the Lost Boys under their wings, so that takes care of the rogue Lost Boys issue. Will Scarlet is training them, so that takes care of yet another problematic person. Our Arendalle visitors have left. No Gold to worry about. Regina is with Henry to drown her sadness. Mom is busy at work. So is Dad. Neal is at his daycare. So it seems that no one needs the Savior, or Sheriff Swan, or Princess Emma.”

            “I wouldn’t say _no one_ needs you, Swan…” he replied, his hand letting go of her and scratching that spot behind his ear. “I can think of a few things I need your assistance with…”

            She chuckled and leaned her body into his. Emma kissed him, immediately feeling that fire that had gone out when his heart was missing. _His heart_ … Her hand flew up his chest and settled on top of it. Its wild beating reassured her that he was there, he was alive, that he was in love. She pulled away from the kiss and her head fell to his shoulder. Killian felt the warm tears soak through his thin shirt. He tried to peel her off his shoulder, but she just buried her face further into him.

            “Emma…” he whispered, “look at me, love.”

            In return, he heard a muffled “no.” _Stubborn little Swan_ , he thought. He tried once more to pull her away, but when his efforts were proven futile, he decided to change tactics. Killian scooped Emma into his arms and carried her towards the bed.

            Her teary eyes finally looked up at him. “What are you doing, Killian?”

            “Taking you to bed,” he replied, dropping her over the bed, making her body bounce up and off the mattress. Emma giggled like a child and Killian’s heart filled with joy. He settled beside her, pulling her body into his.

            “What’s wrong? Please open up,” he said. Emma cuddled into him, placing her head over his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart. Her golden locks fell over his chest and he started to gently play with it.

            “Tell me why, Killian. Tell me why I almost lost you.” Her voice sounded broken.

            He had thought of this moment many times before. But in all of the scenarios he had played in his head, he had died in the end. He had said goodbye to her. He sighed deeply before starting his tale.

            “It began when I made my deal with the crocodile. I wanted badly to hold you properly... I wanted my hand back, and I knew the dagger he had given Belle was fake, so I used that as leverage. I don’t know what I was thinking, it’s the bloody crocodile after all… He used my…” he was about to use the word love, but he knew Emma wasn’t ready for that, “my affections for you against me. He told me the hand would take me back into my old, villainous ways and I believed him. It was all a trick. When I went back to have him remove the hand, he told me he had exchanged the daggers and I lost my leverage. He used me to capture an old man inside that hat…”

            Emma looked up at him and saw exactly how much he regretted his actions. “How did he take your heart?”

            “That night you wanted to give your magic away, I went to stop you. I knew he was planning on capturing you in the hat as well. He stopped me at the gates. When he saw that you didn’t go through with it, he took my heart. He said he needed the heart of someone who knew him before he became the Dark One to cleave himself from the dagger.”

            Emma sat up, her eyes never leaving him. Her tears had dried and now fury claimed her emerald green eyes. She began swatting at his chest. “Do not put yourself at risk to save me. EVER AGAIN! Got it?? I don’t need a dashing rescue, I need you alive! I could’ve lost you!”

            “Emma, I had to come for you! Have you ever considered, love, that maybe I need you alive too?” his hand cupped her cheek and his face was now inches away from hers. “I can’t lose you. Without you, I am lost.”

            Emma touched his forehead with hers. She breathed in that smell of rum, spice and ocean, of Killian, and her heart reminded her, once again, that she loved this renegade pirate.

            “Then from now on, we stick together. Always. We’ll watch over each other.”

            “Always, love? The town will start to talk.” His devilish grin elicited a carefree laugh from her.

            “Let them. It’s not like they don’t already gossip.”

            “Your plan is to fan the fire, love?”

            “Yes, it is. I’m done running from this. Let this whole damn town hear it…” She really did want the whole town to know it, to know she had claimed him as hers, but the strength of the words were too much, and she ended up whispering them. “I love you, Killian Jones.”

            His heart stopped and hurt, but this time, it wasn’t from pain. His heart wasn’t being crushed. It was bursting with joy and love. “Emma… I love you, too.”

            “Good,” she replied before sealing his lips with a kiss. She pushed him back onto the bed and kissed him with everything she had. All of the anger because he had put himself in danger, all the sadness when she thought she would lose him, all the happiness he brought to her life, all the love she had just discovered in her. They were tangled in one another when he pulled away and she settled once more into his arms.

            “Shall we never leave this bed, love?” he asked, closing his eyes and squeezing her body against his.

            “I like that plan, Captain.”

~~CS~~

            They did spend the whole day in bed. Their day was innocent, Killian never pushing his Swan past the comfort zone she set, but it was full of love. All they wanted was to simply enjoy each other, to enjoy this extremely rare moment of peace. They called for room service later, and when Ruby showed up with their food, giving Emma a suspicious look when she answered the door, they knew that in about 5 minutes, all of Storybrooke would know that the savior princess had indeed fallen for a pirate.


	2. Week 1, Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small scene between Emma and Belle, which leads to Emma, once again, losing her bedroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to post this, things have been a little hectic.  
> I'll try to be faster with the next one!  
> This was just an extra push for Emma to start looking for a place of her own.
> 
> Enjoy!

             Emma was walking home from the sheriff’s station when she saw a light inside of Gold’s Pawn Shop. Emma hadn’t seen Belle since that night and she didn’t know how she was dealing with the situation. She decided to go in.

            The bell above the door announced Emma’s entrance, and from the backroom emerged Belle. The brunette, usually so put together and classy, looked an absolute wreck. She was wearing a black skirt and stockings, her shoes somewhere in the mess of the shop, her collared white shirt and light blue pullover not tucked into her skirt like normally. Belle’s brunette curls fell down to her shoulders, an unruly mop of hair. Her makeup was smudged and Emma could see dark circles under the girl’s beautiful blue eyes.

            “Emma… what… what can I help you with?” Belle said, her voice breaking from the tears she must have been shedding before. Yet through all of her pain, Belle still found enough to strength to appear composed and available to anyone who should need her.

            “I don’t need anything. I just came to check on you. Are you alright?”

            Belle walked behind the counter and picked a suitcase. “I’m just… packing the rest of my things.” Emma walked towards the curtain blocking the door to the backroom and saw three more suitcases already packed.

            “I can’t stay here,” said Belle. Her hands were tightly gripping the counter, as if even speaking about it would cause her to crumble and fall. “Too many memories… I tried to stay here that first night, hoping there would be something left over of the man I thought he could be, but I only saw a monster in my dreams…” her voice cracked and she let her head fall over the suitcase, hot tears forming in her eyes.

            Emma placed a tentative hand over Belle’s shoulder, and as soon as she felt the touch, Belle came crashing down on Emma, her sobbing louder and panicked. None of Emma’s occupations, Savior or Sheriff, provided her with the skills to deal with a crying fairytale princess. So she channeled her inner Snow White and hugged the heartbroken Belle. _Hope speech_ , she thought, _mom help me out_.  

            “Belle, I know this is difficult, trust me, I’ve lost my share of people I loved, but I can tell you that it will not heal unless you let yourself heal. You fought so hard to save him, but now you have to save yourself. For all of his flaws, Gold did love you. He might not have been able to let go of his desire of power, but he loved you. And in name of that man who loved you, you have to pull through. And like my parents and Henry like to say, true love will win at the end. If it’s true, he will change his ways while he is gone, and you will find your way to each other again.”

            Belle stopped convulsing and pulled herself up from Emma’s arms. “Thank you, Emma.” 

            “You’re family, Belle, and this family shares in carrying the burden. Now, let me help you move this stuff out…. Wait… where are you going?”

            Belle looked up shyly from under her lashes. “The library? I’ve been staying in the little room in the back…”

            “Belle! Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

            “I didn’t want to impose… Granny’s is full, so I thought I could stay in the library till I found my own place.”

            Emma picked up a suitcase. “You’re coming with me. You can stay at the loft with us. I shared my bedroom with Elsa, I can share with you.”

            “Emma… I really shouldn’t. I can’t take over your room. And with baby Neal, your family has plenty on their hands.”

            “We’re not discussing this. I know Mom would love to have you there and Neal loves when you babysit. He’ll be happy to see you.”

            Belle started crying again. “Oh Emma… I can’t thank you enough!”

            “You saved Killian for me. I’m in your debt… And speaking of Killian, I’m sure he’d love to help move your things. Let me call him.”

            Emma took out her phone and her fingers quickly found Killian’s name. His phone rang a few times before he picked up.

            _“Hello love, to what do I owe the pleasure?”_

            “I need your help. I’m moving Belle to the loft.” Emma heard some noise in the background. “Is that laughter? Where are you?”

            _“That, love, is your father being ridiculous. I’m at the sheriff’s station. He was bored and called me over. I’m schooling him in Rum Poker.”_

            “You’re drinking rum with my father during the night shift at the sheriff’s station?”

            _“We’re playing rum-less, I promise.”_

            “You have a bromance with my dad, that’s hilarious.”

            _“Bromance??”_

“Never mind, pirate. Can you help or not?”

            _“Your father and I shall be right there, love.”_

Emma heard David in the background, complaining that Killian had volunteered him for moving duty and heard Killian’s response, “your highness, I’d thought you’d be more excited for a reason to postpone your utter destruction in poker.” David groaned.

            _“Your father says hello, love. See you soon.”_

            The boys arrived 10 minutes later in David’s truck. Emma and Belle had finished packing and let Killian and David load everything onto the truck. Emma had called her mother to warn her, and Snow was standing by the door when they arrived.

            “Belle!! It will be so wonderful to have you here!” the queen mayor shouted. Neal squealed along with his mother and started grabbing for Belle.

            “Thank you for letting me stay. I really don’t want to impose.”

            “Nonsense! Come, we can talk in the living room while they carry your things upstairs.”

~~CS~~

            Emma was placing the last bag on the floor of her shared room when Killian approached her. He hugged her from behind and she settled into the embrace.

            “If your parents keep this loft perpetually crowded, can you imagine what they would do if they had a castle to fill?” 

            Emma laughed. “I think even in a castle, I would end up having to share my bedroom… I really need my own place.”

            Killian’s hand left her waist and moved behind his back. When it returned to her, he was holding the Storybrooke Classifieds at her eye level. “What’s stopping you from looking?”

            She turned in his arms to look at him. “Since we’re lacking more exciting adventures at the moment, would you like to go apartment hunting with me?”

            “I would say yes to anything that provided me extra time with you, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CS chapter is up next!!  
> Kudos, comments, and bookmarks are highly appreciated by the muse! And I love hearing about your ideas for this or any other story :)


	3. Week 2, Day 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma goes apartment hunting with Killian and Henry. Killian makes a big discovery and an even bigger decision

Henry and Killian showed up at the loft 30 minutes earlier. Emma had lined up a few apartments for them to look at, and even a house. Henry’s input was just as important as her own, so she had booked everything for this Saturday so he wouldn’t miss school. And she wanted the new place to please Killian as well, because she had a feeling he would be spending a lot of time there.

            When Emma opened the front door, she was surprised to see Henry. “I thought I was picking you up from Regina’s?”

            Henry pushed his way past her and into the loft. “I called Killian last night and asked him to come get me. I thought we could make breakfast first.” Henry started pulling things out of the kitchen cabinet, ready to make pancakes.

            “Lad, I don’t think your grandmother would particularly like it if we woke up the little prince, so how about breakfast at Granny’s instead?”

            “Sounds good!” replied Henry. He walked to the coffee table and grabbed Emma’s car keys. “Here you go mom!”

            Emma caught the keys he had tossed to her, but put them in her pocket. “Actually, I wanna try something. Regina would kill me if I didn’t practice. Hold on to me, both of you. It makes it easier for me.”

            Henry took a hold of his mother’s arm immediately. He knew what was about to happen and he looked beyond excited. Killian, on the other hand, was more reluctant, but he took Emma’s left hand and squeezed tightly. She closed her eyes and concentrated. She moved her hand swiftly and blue smoke rose from the ground. When she opened her eyes again, they were still standing in the same place…

            “Are you kidding me!?!?” she said, exasperated. “I’ve been working on this for weeks now!”      

            “It’s alright, Swan. Keep practicing. For now, we have your yellow vessel.”

~~CS~~

            After breakfast at Granny’s, the three headed over to the first apartment. It located far from town but the place looked nice enough from the outside. But when they walked in, Killian immediately did not like it. It was barely bigger than the Charming’s loft, and it was as dark as midnight sky. The master bedroom, if it could even be called that, was tiny and damp. Killian was pretty sure he could smell mold.

            “Next place,” he said turning towards Emma.

            “What do you mean ‘next place’? This isn’t so bad.”

            “Swan, it’s small and damp. My quarters in the _Jolly Roger_ were bigger than this.”

            “I don’t need something big.”

            “But you need something safe. We’re at the edge of the town line, away from everyone. If something were to happen to you, I wouldn’t get here on time.”           

            “What did I say about dashing rescues??”

            He rolled his eyes, imitating her when she was annoyed with him. “That you don’t need one… But that won’t stop me, love.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her quickly. When he pulled away, he felt her hands reach for the collar on his jacket and pull him back to her. The kiss was much less heated than the one they had shared in Neverland, when she had done exactly the same thing, but it sent Killian’s mind back to Neverland, and to his promise to win her heart.

            They heard Henry clearing his throat at the door of the master bedroom. “Seriously guys, not in front of the teenager.”

            They pulled away, Emma blushing in embarrassment. “So, kid… what do you think?”

            “This isn’t it, mom. We should go to the next place.”

            “Yes, next place,” echoed Killian.

            “Okay, two vetoes, so let’s try the house next.”

            The house turned out to be a bust. It was old, falling apart, and would need more renovations than Emma cared to take on. The back of the house led to the woods, and while exploring the grounds, Killian found a wooden house. It was small but something about it intrigued him. Emma and Henry were still in the other house, so he decided to check it out. Inside, Killian’s memories began flood his mind. It was the house he lived in when his father deserted his family. He had very little memories of it, simply because when his mother had decided to move from there, Killian was still 4. But one memory stood out.

            _His father had left a few weeks before, never to return, and his mother was struggling to keep her boys fed. She was pacing the small living room, twirling her ring around her finger. She mumbling something to herself while Killian was sitting on the ground, watching her. She stopped suddenly and looked down at her son. “Your father loved us once. He was a good man once. But we can’t live in the past. He’s not coming back, so we have to move forward.” She pulled her ring off her finger. “Starting with this. I could never bring myself to sell it, but I can’t keep holding on to him.” She walked into her bedroom and Killian followed. She placed the ring inside the hidden compartment of the top drawer of her dresser and shoved it closed. The next day, they left that house._

            And now Killian found himself wandering over to his mother’s old bedroom and opening the drawer. It was still there. Her ring. It was a beautiful oval emerald, small diamonds circling it, the thin white gold band adorned with small diamonds as well. It was from the days before his father drank all their money away. The green was as bright as Emma’s eyes and Killian’s heart started pounding in his chest. He put the ring in his pocket and walked out of the house. He knew exactly how to do it, but not when. He would wait for her to be ready for that commitment, even if it took another 300 years.

~~CS~~

            The last apartment they checked that day was perfect. It was close to the docks, therefore close enough to town should Emma need a dashing rescue. It kept Henry close to his mother and to his grandparents. And it had a beautiful water view from the living room and the master bedroom. It had 3 bedrooms, enough for Emma and Henry, and any guests that showed up in Storybrooke. It was completely updated and Emma wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. She walked to the master bedroom and noticed the two separate closets, the double sinks, the view of the ocean, the private dock she could see from the window… It seemed like everything pointed towards the apartment being for 3, not the 2 she had originally planned for…

            “Swan, this one is perfect.” Emma jumped as Killian’s voice pulled her from her daydreams.

            “Yeah… I really like it…” She paused to turn towards him. “It’s weird but… it feels like home. Even empty like this.”

            He smiled brightly at her and took her left hand in his. “You deserve a home, Emma. And I am glad to have shared in this adventure with you.” His gaze moved down to her hand as his thumb brushed little circles over her ring finger. There was something in his eyes that she just couldn’t place… Hope, maybe?

            “Killian?” When he didn’t respond, Emma’s other hand found its way to his chin and pulled it up towards her, forcing him to look at her. “Are you alright?”

            He dropped her hand and smiled, a little more forced than she would’ve liked. “I’m perfect, love. Shall we see what Henry thinks of the place?”

            That look in his eyes dissipated before she could decipher it. He walked out of the bedroom, shouting for Henry, who was still exploring the apartment. Emma stood a little longer in the bedroom, frozen in the same spot. She looked down at her ring finger and pressed her thumb over where Killian had been caressing. Right where a ring would be. Suddenly, her hand felt empty, the lack of ring bothering her. She was happy, there was nothing lacking in her life, so why was this bothering her? The desire for _that_ ring was something she had never felt before, not even during her happiest times with Neal. She shook her hand violently, hoping it would make the feeling go away. Instead, her ring finger felt heavy, as if it was getting accustomed to the imaginary weight of the imaginary ring.

            “I’m going crazy,” she told the walls around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to see the ring, here it is: http://www.loveandpromisejewelers.com/index.php/designers-10/rosados-box-ultra-petite-federella-white-gold-oval-emerald-and-diamonds-halo-engagement-ring.html
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! The next one is Regina and Emma's growing friendship.  
> Again, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :)


End file.
